California hotel evacuated after chemical suicide

BERKELEY, Calif.—A historic San Francisco Bay Area hotel and social club has been evacuated after a resident used a toxic chemical to commit suicide in her room.

Police spokesman Ethell Wilson says the 80-year-old woman used sodium azide to kill herself Tuesday in her apartment on the third floor of the landmark Berkeley City Club.

The Oakland Tribune reports ( http://bit.ly/1lMST7G) that the woman left a note warning authorities of the dangerous situation, and hazardous materials crews and bomb squad technicians responded just before 2 p.m.

Other residents and guests were evacuated, but Wilson says there are no reports of injuries.

A person who answered the phone at the hotel hung up when a reporter called for comment.

Sodium azide is commonly found in cars' air bags to make them inflate. It becomes a toxic gas when mixed with water.

A message left with a Berkeley Police Department spokeswoman on Tuesday evening was not immediately returned.